"The Last Airbender" - James Newton-Howard

The Last Airbender

Composer: James Newton-Howard

Release date: June 29, 2010

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All About Soundtracks Review:
Another collaboration between Newton-Howard and M. Night Shyamalan, The Last Airbender is planned to be the first movie of a trilogy based on the animated Asian series Avatar: The Last Airbender.
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This movie was Newton-Howard's opportunity for expanding the scope of the fantasy music with which he delighted us in Lady In The Water.
This time around, it's not only water: he has to deal with all the four elements. He identifies each one with a section of the orchestra: woodwinds for Air, percursion for Earth, strings for Water and brass for Fire. All of them are presented in Airbender Suite, the first track. This one runs for eleven minutes and it's a wonderful track. It also presents a theme that is unfortunately absent from the rest of the score.
However, thematic development it's not what one can catch at first listen. The themes are few and are not easy to identify.
On the other hand, this score is dense, with a feeling of fantasy and appropriate ethnicity, given this is based on an asian series. It's very pleasant to listen to this. Here, James Newton-Howard put all the emotion that's his trademark, but in a bigger, epic scope, with a remarkably excelent orchestration, usual from this composer.
The Blue Spirit, for instance is a great track: it has an excelent rythmic expression, and the use of the various sections of the orchestra is amazing. Great action cue, running for seven minutes.
As for the themes, they are both present in the majesticly beautiful cue Flow Like Water.
A very enjoyable listening experience. A score not very memorable, but very addictive instead.

Ups: an good fantasy adventure score that provides a great listening experience; as usual from Howard, it's extremly expressive and emotional.

Downs: lack of easily recognizable themes that engage the listener; non-chronological presentation of the album.

Noteworthy tracks: Airbender Suite, The Blue Spirit, We Could Be Friends, We Are Now The Gods, Flow Like Water.

Score note: 7,5/10

Preview:
Track 12, Flow Like Water


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